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A survey of Coxiella burnetii infection (Q fever) in sheep flocks and goat herds in Great Britain was undertaken. A total of 5791 sheep (384 flocks) and 522 goats (145 herds) were examined for C. burnetii antibodies using an ELISA. Overall, 53 sheep (37 flocks), and four goats (four herds), tested positive. Estimates of individual animal, between-flock/-herd and within-flock/-herd crude prevalences were 0·9%, 10·2% and 9·0%, respectively, for sheep, and 0·8%, 3% and 26·3%, respectively, for goats. With sheep, the likelihood of an animal testing positive increased with total flock size (P = 0·002) and number of breeding ewes in the flock (P = 0·021). It also increased with number of goats within a 10 km radius (P = 0·038). There was no evidence for spatial clustering of positive herds above that expected by chance alone. No analysis of risk factors was attempted for goats because of the paucity of positives.

A range of peer worker roles are being introduced into mental health services internationally. There is some evidence that attests to the benefits of peer workers for the people they support but formal trial evidence in inconclusive, in part because the change model underpinning peer support-based interventions is underdeveloped. Complex intervention evaluation guidance suggests that understandings of how an intervention is associated with change in outcomes should be modelled, theoretically and empirically, before the intervention can be robustly evaluated. This paper aims to model the change mechanisms underlying peer worker interventions.

Methods.

In a qualitative, comparative case study of ten peer worker initiatives in statutory and voluntary sector mental health services in England in-depth interviews were carried out with 71 peer workers, service users, staff and managers, exploring their experiences of peer working. Using a Grounded Theory approach we identified core processes within the peer worker role that were productive of change for service users supported by peer workers.

Results.

Key change mechanisms were: (i) building trusting relationships based on shared lived experience; (ii) role-modelling individual recovery and living well with mental health problems; (iii) engaging service users with mental health services and the community. Mechanisms could be further explained by theoretical literature on role-modelling and relationship in mental health services. We were able to model process and downstream outcomes potentially associated with peer worker interventions.

Conclusions.

An empirically and theoretically grounded change model can be articulated that usefully informs the development, evaluation and planning of peer worker interventions.

Ultrasmall paramagnetic iron oxide (USPIO)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) imaging is a promising noninvasive method to identify high-risk atheromatous plaques. Iron oxide particles function as contrast-enhancing agents by creating a large dipolar magnetic field gradient that acts on the water molecules that diffuse close to the particles. Howarth reported that USPIO appeared to show a dual contrast effect with signal enhancement being seen in plaques with little inflammation and large fibrous caps. The contralateral side of symptomatic patients given USPIO were also analyzed. It was found that 95% patients showed bilateral USPIO uptake suggesting an inflammatory burden within their carotid atheroma bilaterally. Three different approaches have been adopted to make the seemly impossible task a reality: ultrashort echo times (uTE), inversion recovery on-resonance water suppression (IRON) imaging, and Gradient echo acquisition for superparamagnetic particles with positive contrast (GRASP).

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